How to use less plastic- creative hacks you need to hear about!

Flimsy plastic bags only take about a decade to be broken down, but most plastic takes 450-1,000 years to degrade. It’s not going anywhere fast. And even though plastic bags degrade fairly quickly- Americans still use 102 billion every year.

The whole earth is sick with plastic.

But even before any of these plastics fully degrade, they break down into micro-plastics, which can be found on shorelines all over the world. And before they get a chance to be broken down too small, you know what they look like?

Eggs.

Meaning fish and other sea life eat them. And we eat the fish.

And then the mercury, lead, and cadmium found in their bodies are found in ours, too.

Of course, just avoiding seafood won’t solve everything- plastic can get into our bodies in plenty of other ways too.

The toxins from plastic can be absorbed through your skin, breathed in, or consumed in the form of food that has absorbed toxins from its plastic packaging.

In humans, these toxins can alter hormones and are directly linked to cancer, developmental problems, reduced immunity, and birth defects.

There’s plenty more research out there and I’d encourage you to dig into this yourself. But as you read and learn, remember that it’s not all doom and gloom.

There are easy steps you can make to use less plastic and create less waste.

So how can you use less plastic? And does it really have an impact?

With these zero waste tips, you can make a difference!

There are decisions you can make, starting today, to reduce the toxins and plastic in your life!

For me personally, I refuse to be a fear-based environmentalist. Looking at these facts, it’s easy to become discouraged and wonder what on earth we can do to help our earth in the slightest.

The things we do never feel like enough, and we sometimes lean more towards overwhelmed and apathetic feelings rather than being hopeful and optimistic.

Sometimes we feel helpless, especially when looking at the sad picture of a polluted shore, or a bird dying because it has the plastic from a six-pack around its neck. Well, shoot… what can I do about that??

But I believe our choices are significant. They have weight. Even if I were the only person on earth who believed what I believe, it’s a step in the right direction, and that’s worth it to me.

The question is, what are you going to do? Each and every right decision is a step towards a healthier you, and a healthier earth.

And it’s all about baby steps.

Progress, not perfection.

So congratulate yourself on the progress you’ve made so far, and then keep looking for ways to grow and change!

Note: If you’re just starting out towards a lifestyle with less plastic, there are a few “zero waste” items that you should not buy right away. Read this post for more information on what zero waste products are best for beginners!

You can use the following zero waste tips as a launch point. Read on for easy ways to use less plastic, starting right now.

This website contains affiliate links- meaning that if you follow a link to something I recommend, I might receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I love! More info here.

And if want extra incentive to bring that reusable mug places, just don’t let yourself buy coffee if you don’t have a reusable cup. That’ll help the habit form in no time. =)

Make it a habit to ask for no straw at restaurants, or bring your own straw. (They look pretty in your drink too!)

Single-use replacements to use less plastic

There are loads of other single-use items out there too, that you can learn to avoid in no time.

The list includes straws, paper plates, Styrofoam plates, plastic utensils, napkins, paper towels, cling wrap, and sandwich bags. The good news is that there are great alternatives to all of these! They might take some getting used to, but once you adjust, you’ll never want to go back!

One step in the right direction is all we can do right away. Why not just do it? And then make one more step!

This is just the beginning, and I’m definitely still learning, growing, and slowly changing, but I know I’m on the right track.

Creative ways to further reduce your waste

Here are some other fun ideas I’ve found to reduce waste and plastic:

Don’t shave! Or…

Buy a classy safety razor if you decide to shave. Unlike disposable razors or those expensive razors with disposable heads, these zero waste razors only have recyclable metal blades for you to replace.

The upfront cost might be a little higher, but you’ll make up for it by how cheap the blades are! It’s easy to get used to them (just use lots of soap and shave at a 30-degree angle) and you’ll never want shave with cheap-o plastic again!

Replace shampoo and conditioner bottles

Have you ever noticed how hefty shampoo and conditioner bottles can be? There is a lot of plastic in those bottles. If you’re willing to try something new, try shampoo and conditioner bars instead! They come in minimal packaging, last for a long time, and work just as well as a liquid soap- just without the toxins!

I enjoy the all-natural rosemary lavender shampoo barfrom Earthley. It smells amazing, uses herbs that are great for your hair and hair growth, and is super easy to use– so if you’ve never used a shampoo bar before, never fear!

All you do is wet your hair in the shower, and lather up the bar in your hand before rubbing the lather into your roots like a normal liquid shampoo. Even though it’s a soap bar, it lathers up just as much as a handful of your normal shampoo!

As soon as your hair is cleansed the lather will go away. Then just rinse with warm water and carry on with conditioning!

I’ve also found that the bars last for months. The product page says it lasts about 4-6 weeks with regular showers (and I promise I shower regularly) but it seems like my bar has barely shrunk even after using it regularly for over a month! Shampoo bars are small but mighty, and they last much longer than bottles of shampoo- for the same cost.

Menstrual cups are way more efficient than tampons, and they don’t involve putting something that’s chemically bleached (have you noticed they never tell you what tampons are made of?) into your lady-regions.

Bring containers to stores with bulk goods

I love shopping at bulk shops and in bulk aisles. First off, they’re usually cheaper since you aren’t paying for packaging, and you can put it in whatever you want!

At first, I had decided to just bring bags, and not jars. I thought you’d have to pay for the weight of the jar, but nope! Just visit someone at the front of the store and they’ll weigh the jar for you and write it on there. Then they just subtract its weight when you check out. Easy peasy!

Stop using plastic produce bags

You know those flimsy, single-use plastic bags they have hanging around the produce section?

They really aren’t necessary.

If you think about it, the people harvesting your fruits and veggies probably weren’t wearing gloves, and that produce has probably touched some surfaces that are just as dirty as your cart or the conveyor belt at checkout.

Produce bags are kind of a mental game, (it can just “feel cleaner” to use them) and it can take a little while to get used to going bag-free. But you’ll wash the produce anyway (get a good veggie wash for optimal results- I use this one) so why bother with a bag?

Think ahead when traveling

I’ve made lots of mistakes when it comes to creating waste during trips. But through all the mistakes, I’ve also found that it only takes a little bit of intentionality and planning ahead to use less plastic and be more sustainable when I’m traveling!

For example, those cotton bags I mentioned above are lightweight and perfect for stuffing in your checked luggage. You can use them for shopping while you’re traveling. They’re especially useful for bulk shopping– check out your destination ahead of time to see if there’s a bulk or zero waste shop!

Make your own yogurt

When hubs and I started trying to reduce our use of plastic, we realized just how dang many of those little plastic tubs of food we went through each month. We live in the middle of nowhere so there aren’t many non-plastic substitutes in stores. Most of the containers were from yogurt.

We would sometimes use the empty containers for leftovers, but we just went through so many of them it was unnecessary and ridiculous (we already had plenty of glass containers for leftovers anyway).

So, we bought this wonderful thing, and started making our own yogurt! Yes, it does have plastic parts, but it’s not a single-use product and saves loads of plastic from going to the landfill. It’s cheaper and super easy, too!

Note: On the other hand, you could just cut out dairy from your diet too… I’ve done that for health reasons (dairy can be inflammatory for some people), and I loved how there was no need to buy things like sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, or other dairy products that normally come in a tub of plastic!

Plastic is almost impossible to avoid if you buy dairy products. There are plenty of other options though!

Rethink your kids’ plastic toys

Kids toys are one of those things that just tend to pile up and multiply. Why not downsize, pass on toys, and rethink what you buy in the future?

There are plenty of wooden and DIY toys out there that will let kids use their imagination and save countless items from the landfill.

It’s especially important to avoid plastic in toys for teething, since babies are getting a dose of the chemicals in the plastic every time they chew on them. Try an all-natural rubber teething ring instead!

Ask Amazon to reduce plastic

Mama Eco has a great tip for reducing your plastic in online shopping- you can actually ask Amazon to minimize the amount of plastic and pointless packaging in the items you buy!

Just go to this website to fill out the form you need to reduce the waste in your Amazon shipments.

It won’t be perfectly zero waste, but you can give feedback after you get your package to let Amazon know how they’re doing!

Speak with your dollar

Shop at places that have a bulk aisle, or don’t use bags, as much as possible.

Stores are starting to catch on, and making your opinion known by refining where you shop is one way to help stores make changes in the right direction.

Since it’s not likely that big corporations or lobbyists are going to start making selfless, beneficial decisions for our health and the planet any time soon, we need to take things into our own hands and realize our power as consumers!

Buy local!

It’s hard to avoid packaging with milk and eggs- and many other food essentials are wrapped in plastic too. Buying local (and reusing the egg cartons and milk jars) can save you from using pounds of plastic each year, and it supports local business! Win-win!

You can visit your local farmers market (find one near you here) for even more low-waste food options. Don’t forget your bag!

Buy loose leaf tea

Plastic is sneaky. It’s hiding everywhere. Did you know that most tea bags have plastic in them? They’d disintegrate otherwise. And putting tea bags in hot water lets the chemicals in the bags leach into your tea. Opt for organic, loose leaf tea packaged in tin or found in the bulk aisle instead. (Like this tea– it’s delicious, and you can reuse the tin!)

And instead of using tea bags to steep your tea, invest in a mesh strainer to hold loose leaf tea. If you want to use up any tea bags you still have, you can cut the bags open and just use the tea.

Plastic in your clothes?

When shopping for clothes, it’s best to look for items that are 100% cotton, wool, or linen. Synthetic fabrics, including polyester, nylon, or acrylic, are petroleum byproducts. The process for making synthetic fibers aren’t good for the planet to begin with, but it gets worse!

Washing clothes made with synthetic fibers releases microfibers of plastic into the water. These harmful microfibers are too small to be filtered out, so they eventually make their way into the ocean and add to pollution.

If you’re trying to avoid the harmful effects of plastic, think twice about any clothes purchases you’re making. Check out this post for more on avoiding microfiber pollution.

Think you’ll start implementing any of these ideas?

Want to go a step further?

It’s great to use less plastic in order to remove toxins and pursue a zero waste lifestyle.

Did you know that paper can also be a problem? Most paper in the kitchen (think paper plates, napkins, etc) actually includes plastic too! Plus it’s usually single-use and doesn’t normally get recycled. For more info, check out this post on 10 ways to go paper free.

Did you know that there are lots of other things you can do to reduce harmful toxins in other areas of your life also? For more information, download my free guide on reducing toxins below!

I made a holder for my reusable coffee cup and my reusable cup for frappuccinos/soft drinks for my car. It hangs off the back of my passenger seat, and has a spot for each. This way if I’m stopping for a coffee or lunch, I can just reach over and grab one before I go inside. Those cups live in my car, and go right back out there after coming out of the dishwasher, so they are always handy when needed. I also bring my own containers for leftovers when I go out, so that I don’t have to get… Read more »

Those are some great ideas!! I especially love the idea of ordering “for here” and then transferring it to a reusable container. And they’re finally starting to ban styrofoam, hopefully the trend continues! Thanks for sharing! =)

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4 months ago

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Patricia Briggs

Has anyone got any ideas for wrapping meat for the freezer? I hav made my own beeswax wraps, net bags for fruit/veges. Take reusable cup for takeaway etc but can’t find a solution for freezer wrapping.

That’s a good question! I usually use glass tupperware for freezer storage, but have you tried some sort of freezer paper or wax paper? Some of them might have plastic liners but it could work! I’ll have to do some experimenting.